1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a method and system for data processing and, in particular, to an improved method and system of user interface to a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and system for generating and displaying error messages based upon non-local contextual information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems issue and display error messages when abnormal conditions occur. A common display technique is to present a message on a display interface (e.g., a GUI) that tells the user what went wrong and what he or she might do to address the error. In some cases, these messages are generated by the program itself. More often, a separate error message subsystem is used to dynamically load error messages from an external source (e.g., a database) into the program. Such error handling is used to facilitate localization of the product or to allow the error message subsystem to be enhanced or supported without requiring a given application (that uses the subsystem) to be recompiled, retested, and rereleased. Providing error messages in this fashion is sometimes referred to local context information messaging as the particular error message returned is uniquely associated with some particular xe2x80x9clocalxe2x80x9d state or action.
In such known program-based or error message subsystem-based techniques, a given error message thus is composed as a function of local state or contextual information. Thus, for example, a given error message template (e.g., xe2x80x9cfile_not foundxe2x80x9d) is refined with particular local context information associated with the current error. Thus, assume the user desires to locate a file c: txt supported in disk storage. If that file cannot be located, the error message template xe2x80x9cfile (_) not foundxe2x80x9d is refined as xe2x80x9cfile (c: foo.txt) not foundxe2x80x9d).
In such known error messaging techniques and systems, there is a 1:1 correspondence between a given error and a given error message returned upon occurrence of the given error. This technique affords limited flexibility and does not allow an application or system provider to customize error messages based upon non-local or other contextual information.
The present invention provides a solution to the inherent limitations of the prior art.
A primary object of the present invention is to compose and display a unique error message when a current error condition has associated therewith a prior error condition. The association between the current error condition and the prior error condition preferably is user- or system-selectable via an error mapper interface.
Another object of this invention is to control an existing error message subsystem with non-contextual input information to thereby generate custom error messages when a current error condition correlates with predefined, prior error conditions.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an xe2x80x9cintelligentxe2x80x9d error messaging system and method wherein the composition of a given error message is preferably based upon user-defined or system-defined contextual information.
It is still another important object of this invention to evaluate the context in which a given error has occurred to determine an appropriate error message to present to the user.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided in a computer system having an error message subsystem. A preferred method begins by associating non-local contextual information with a given error condition. The non-local contextual information, for example, may be information about previous error conditions. Preferably, this association is effected using a graphical user interface mapper. During a run-time operation, the method waits for the occurrence of a current error condition. Upon such occurrence, a determination is made regarding whether the current error condition is the given error condition. If so, the routine composes an error message that is a function of the current error condition and the non-local contextual information. The error message is then displayed or otherwise output to the user.
The inventive method may be implemented in computer software as part of or an adjunct to an error message subsystem. According to the invention, the error message subsystem is driven by non-contextual information, e.g., a set of previous error conditions, together with a current error condition. If the current error condition has the non-contextual information associated therewith, an error message is composed that is a function of the current error condition and the non-contextual information. Driving the error message subsystem in this manner provides a more robust and useful error messaging service.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects and features of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.